1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to article holders, and more particularly to a dual purpose holder for both storing, and supporting in open position, books, magazines, pamphlets, and similar items.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Holders or cases for both storing and displaying items are known. For example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 682,522; 1,930,347 and 3,301,621. One type of known holder is composed of two diagonal sections that are hinged together to form a right rectangular polyhedron shape. One section serves as the body of the holder while the other section serves as the cover. When the diagonal sections are closed, the contents of the holder are enclosed and protected and when the cover is swung open, the item contained therein is visible for display. Examples of such holders or cases are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,108,310; 4,320,829; and 4,323,153.
The '310 patent discloses a container for a blood pressure testing kit composed of a pressure gauge, humeral cuff, pump, bleed valve, and stethoscope. All the components of the kit, except the pressure gauge, are stored within the body of the case. The pressure gauge is mounted within the top or cover of the case so that when the case is open, the gauge is in proper orientation to be read. The cover and body are molded from polypropylene in a single piece and are interconnected by a so-called "living hinge" that is integrally molded with the body and cover. A drawback of this particular type of construction is that the polypropylene material composing the hinge is not durable enough to withstand the severe bending occurring each time the cover is opened and closed. However, if the hinge is made in a stronger, more durable manner, i.e., by constructing it from thicker material, the hinge may be too stiff to enable the cover to remain in full open position without springing back into semiclosed position.
The prior art also includes a container for recipe books composed of a body and a cover. The container is opened by pivoting the cover forwardly about a horizontal hinge. The hinge is located below the centerline of the front wall of the container so that the cover is tilted when fully opened, with the forward corner of the cover resting on the surface on which the box is sitting. Upwardly open, deep notches are formed in the sidewalls of the cover to receive and retain the lower edge portion of a recipe book in open position. The upper portion of the recipe book rests rearwardly against the upper forward corners of the container. An example of a recipe container constructed in this manner is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 1,930,347. A significant disadvantage of this type of container is that if the recipe book is narrower than the width of the container, it cannot be supported by the notches of the cover. Even if the opened book is wider than the container, because the notches only contact a narrow portion of the book, the pages of the book may slide out of the notches, especially if the book is relatively stiff. Moreover, the book may not be tall enough to rest against the forward edges of the container, and will fall rearwardly against the forward inclined edges of the container sidewalls at an angle that may be inconvenient for the reader.